Birthday Brat
by Orion.R.Black
Summary: -blink- Niou's nice for once. The world's going to end!


**Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me**

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night. Akaya stomped out of the school entrance, his eyes bloodshot, and glowering at the sky as if to say, "Rain on me and the world will die." Instantly, the sun came out and the clouds cleared. Akaya continued on his way, walking in the shade under a row of trees. Something wet fell on his shoulder. Not looking back, he growled menacingly. "That had _better _be water…" The white opaque liquid suddenly turned clear and rolled meekly off his shoulder. Today would be an extremely bad day to get on Akaya's nerves.

Niou, unfortunately, was also walking home along the same path, a bit ahead of Akaya. He hurried home; there was something he needed to get done before the day was over. Niou started as he felt a dark aura creeping towards him. He made to dive into the bushes by the street, but was spotted. "Niou!" called Akaya. Niou felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Oh –censored word–

Akaya walked up to his sempai, pointing to a car that just happened to be sitting on the side of the road. "Get in," he ordered. "But it's not–" protested Niou. Unsuccessfully. He was being kidnapped by his kohai. How unsightly. Niou sighed and slid into the passenger's seat. Akaya prodded him. Now what? "You're driving."

Not minding the fact that Niou was not old enough to drive, that he somehow knew how to drive professionally already, and that Akaya didn't have his seatbelt on, the two drove to the nearest mall. Niou hoped that a shopping spree would placate the little demon. Or, better yet, Niou could always lose him in the crows. Whatever came first.

Niou spotted an ice cream parlor. Akaya loved ice cream. "Ne, how 'bout we go and get–" "I want ice cream!"

Walking up to the service counter, Niou ordered himself a sundae. Akaya got one of everything. Heaven knows how he managed to finish it all, plus most of Niou's too. Niou sighed, broke now, and led Akaya out of the building. Right into Marui.

"Ah!" The redheaded tensai hurriedly shoved the box he was holding behind his back. Akaya narrowed his eyes in suspicion, looking at the bakery behind the boy, and back. He walked up to Marui and took the box from him, opened it, and stared at the cake inside. Chocolate. Akaya liked chocolate. "Is this for me?" He proceeded on eating it without waiting for an answer.

Marui stepped aside to talk to Niou, leaving the second year squatting in front of the bakery eating chocolate cake by the handfuls, earning weird looks from the passing crowd, and loudly demanding someone bring him a glass of milk.

Niou sighed, "You know, he can be worse than Atobe sometimes."

Laugh. "Sucks that you're stuck babysitting the little brat."

Glower. "Oh, don't think you're getting out of this."

Thinks. "How 'bout we take him to a bar? He looks like a light weight. A couple of bottles, and we can drag him home unconscious."

"Not if I value my life. What if he turns out to be a mean drunk?"

"Let's go." Akaya tugged at Niou's sleeve, smearing chocolate all over it. Niou and Marui exchanged self pitying glances as the three set off aimlessly.

It was getting dark by the time they wandered about the florists. The darkness setting in matched the aura upon the place when Akaya locked eyes with the person who had just stepped out the door. Fuji Shuusuke.

Marui eyed the cactus he was carrying. What was it about cactuses that Fuji liked so much? "Are cactuses edible?" He wondered aloud.

Fuji's eyes opened. "Saa… Some varieties are. Mine are all poisonous in case some animal tries to eat it. Then it'll die. I check for corpses every day, and so far…"

Marui blanched and dragged the other two away, seriously hoping Fuji was just joking. The day was almost over. Akaya didn't look as mutinous anymore, but rather a bit upset. Akaya fretted over the thought of his cats wandering around near Fuji's place. Niou sighed. What was it with underclassmen geniuses and their obsession with cats?

"We're going home." Niou was getting tired of this. It was dark and cold out. Akaya grabbed onto Niou's sleeve again, staring up at him with bright green eyes. Niou almost smiled. "Give me your jacket." Almost. Niou scowled but complied. He'll put up with it. Just this one day. Akaya was dropped off, and the two sempais were at home sulking.

* * *

Niou buried his face in his pillow and let out a muffled scream. "Damn that brattling," he glared at the half done card lying on his desk next to an unwrapped box. "I really though I could've made it home in time to finish…"

Marui sat in his kitchen, fingering the cake receipt in his hand. "Wasn't exactly how I had planned to present it to him, but at least he got it…"

Akaya was in bed, a smile on his face. There were people in the world after all, who remembered. Who cared. Who put up with him, even if it were just on his birthday.

–END–

* * *

**Author's Note:** -cough- Thought of this story on the half hour drive to my orthodontics. Just wanted to write it down, so sorry if it's a bit iffy in places. Review anyways?


End file.
